Articles you may be interested inMechanism of laser-induced nanomodification on hydrogen-passivated Si(100) surfaces underneath the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope Nanometer-scale oxide patterns were fabricated on H-passivated Si using a scanning tunneling microscopy ͑STM͒ in air. We found that the optimum bias voltage to generate clean and uniform oxide patterns depends on the composition of the tip material rather than on the tip head sharpness. For tungsten tips, oxide patterns with the desired geometrical features can be obtained at bias voltages ranging from Ϫ0.8 to Ϫ1.2 V, while for platinum-iridium tips, the bias voltages lie between Ϫ1.5 and Ϫ2.5 V at a fixed tunneling current of 2.0 nA. These biases correspond to the working voltage generating the oxide pattern with the lowest apparent depth. Beyond these voltage ranges, tip scratching on the sample surface or field-induced mass transfer from the tip might occur, as evidenced by tip wearing and the contamination of debris of tip material in the vicinity of the patterns. On the other hand, the tip head sharpness affects the width and the height of line patterns. When extremely fine oxide lines were desired, a sharp tip has to be used for STM patterning.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.